From The Ashes A Fire Shall Be Awoken
by MaryEllen13
Summary: Max left for five years, for what? She's not sure. She has no clue what she did in those five years, but she does know she wants to find the flock. Correct Grammar and FAX! R&R! Several Twists!
1. Escape

_Hey guys, this is my new story :) it's my first fan fiction and I promise I'll finish this one! I'm not exactly sure what to call it yet, but if you guys have ideas, let me know! Also, I don't have a beta, so let me know if you'd like to be mine :) I have a life outside of you guys though so i'm not gonna update THAT often, but I do have some chapters prewritten...SO! More reviews, more Chapters!_

Chapter One- Escape

_Somewhere in the Grand Canyon…_

My hear t raced as the guards ran past my hiding spot for the fourth time. I listened long and hard and when I was sure there was no one around, I made my run for it.

I rounded the corner and skidded to a stop. There, at the end of the hallway were the doors that called my name. But in between me and those doors, was Brutus, the guard who always managed to catch me during my prior escape attempts. I looked him in the eye and then back pedaled and ran towards the fire exit. I slammed my body into the door, expecting the door to open, but was stopped fast. My stomach ached where it hit the door.

I turned around to see Brutus charging at me fast and waited for him to get closer, then took my chance. I dove between his legs, scrambled up, and then took off running. I skidded around the corner and ran full speed to the now unguarded exit. I heard Brutus behind me grunt in frustration when he rounded the corner.

The desert air was cool as I ran through the doors leading to my freedom, enveloping me like exiting a sauna. Blindly running in the night, cacti and bushes scratched my legs. The sirens were going off behind me, demanding my immediate capture.

I heard engines start up and I unfurled my wings, knowing I couldn't out run a speeding car, armed with large men with guns. I pushed off the ground and soared up into the sky, my wings struggling to keep me stable since it had been weeks since I had last flown.

Shouts echoed off the walls of the canyon as I zoomed upwards. There was a single shot fired and a searing pain in my leg. My wings skipped a beat, but the hope of seeing my family again kept me going.

I landed somewhere outside L.A. as the dawn quickly approached. I collapsed in the abandoned alley out of sheer exhaustion, my muscles screaming, and blood running down my leg. I folded my wings in, not that that would help, considering I didn't have any way of covering them. I crawled behind a dumpster, shielding myself from the view of the street, and quickly fell asleep.

"Hey, you! Get up, you're not allowed to sleep here. You're going to have to go to the shelter a couple blocks down."

I moaned, shielding my eyes from the light in my eyes while I gained my awareness.

"Come on! I have somewhere to be and I don't want to spend my shift out here wasting my time on the homeless!"

I jumped up, backing up against the wall, blocking their view from my wings. My eyes slowly adjusted to the light and I saw a short, curvy figure behind it. I could easily beat this person, being at least three heads taller than her.

She obviously saw me sizing her up, "Come on girl, don't give me any problems, I don't have the time to deal with you."

My heart sped up, seeing the bulging gun at their hip, a police officer. I squinted and covered my eyes again, starting to get a headache from the unnecessarily bright light. We stood there awkwardly for a moment and then she sighed, and reached for my arm. I reacted quickly, hitting her arm away from me, kicking her in the chest.

"Oaff," she moaned in pain as she hit the cement and I took off down the alley. One hundred feet away, the alley split three ways, forward, left or right. I wasn't able to choose before I was there and choose.

"Oh crap," I said, wrong way. Standing in the middle of the alley was a bunch of druggies, all sharing the same needles. Idiots, I internally cursed at them. I rolled my eyes and let my wings loose. They were all high anyways; when they get sober they'll just think somebody put something weird in the heroin. I pumped my wings, hard and strong, jumping up at the same time. I flew up to the top of the building and hid on the roof, just as the cop rounded the corner.

She looked bewildered and looked around, then did a double take on the group who had already started running for cover. She reached down to her gun and aimed it at the only girl left, who was trying to collect what was left of the drug.

"Freeze! Put your hands up," she shouted, and then said into her walkie talkie, "Yea, I have a 41-50 in the alley of 5th and Sunset."

She still had the gun aimed at the girl, but looked around, obviously searching for me. I ducked as she looked up at the building I was hiding on top of. I heard distant sirens and knew it was time to get out of here; the cops would be all over soon, looking for the hiding drug addicts.

I flew close to the building tops until I got to the outskirts of the city, and then flew up into the sky, so high that I would only look like a spec to the naked eye. I closed my eyes and zoomed forward, feeling the morning sun warm my feathers. I sighed, how on earth am I supposed to find the flock? It's not like it's as easy as the voice popping up and telling me where they are. I suppose I'll just start where we left off…

I landed lightly in the clearing of the small forest in Colorado; our last resting place before I left to save the world. I winced at the memories of leaving them, but hit a blank wall when it came to how I actually saved the world. They wiped my memory after that, EVERYTHING was gone, it was a huge blank where it should be and I the freshest memories I had were being back at the school, tested every day. I don't even know how long I was gone. I mean, I would get dreams every so often or random clips of waking up in the middle of rubble or searing pain from gunshots.

I glanced down at my leg, and saw that the bullet from the night before had only grazed my leg, and due to avian genes mixed with human, had already stopped bleeding and was healing itself.

My mind corrected itself. I was here to find where my flock was. I didn't dare think of them more than that; I would go into hysterics, so it was just best if I only touched on that subject.

I quickly rounded the campsite, my long legs settling into a graceful stride. I stopped at the tree I had slept in and climbed the short trunk, searching for any sign of our inhabitance. I jumped to the next tree, where Fang had slept, and searched there too, nothing. I jumped from tree to tree, all the way around the clearing, looking for SOMETHING, but there was nothing.

I moaned in frustration. I fell back against a limb in the tree I was in and cursed at the sky.

Wait! That's it! Fang would know I would come back here when I could and I would be flying! I jumped off the tree limb and into the sky, spreading my wings. I flew into the sky and looked down, towards the forest. I saw several trees lying on their side, but other than that, nothing unusual. I slowly landed in disappointment, all the adrenaline leaving my body as quickly as it came. My body started to weigh heavy and I climbed a tree, burying myself from view in the top of it. I slowly drifted off, thinking fondly of my family, letting the sway of the branches in the wind lull me to sleep.

_R&R Please:)_


	2. Lost Or Found Hope?

_Hey guys, I appreciate all the reviews and I'm glad you like it! Flames are appreciated too, I can take constructive criticism! I'm sorry these chapters are so short; they're like three pages long on Microsoft word so I think they are longer than they are! I'll try to make them longer from now on!_

_Chapter 2- __Lost or Found Hope?_

I woke up to the sound of something moving in the woods, my muscles tensing automatically. The movement stopped right below the tree, and I froze, holding in my breath. The movement started up again and moved forward, into the clearing.

I shimmied down the side of the tree that wasn't facing the clearing and hid behind the base of the tree. I waited till the footsteps picked up again from across the clearing to spread my wings and lift into the sky. I flew close to the treetops, like I had in L.A., until I was in the clear to fly into the sky.

I flew towards nothing and no one, aimlessly navigating my way through the cloud cover. The hope I once had for finding my flock was gone, like a whisper on a summer wind.

My flight carried me to a small town in west Texas, where I decided I would stay for the night. I landed near a small farm, where a group of friends were having a bon fire. I would be able to sleep next to the warmth tonight at least.

The wind carried the smell of smores and hot dogs towards my hiding spot and my stomach growled. I clenched my muscles, commanding it to stop. It had been at least two and a half days since I had eaten, and for some reason I knew that the only reason I could go this long was because of some type of training I had for saving the world. It was as if by instinct that I knew I could go four days without food and water, but man, did that food smell amazing.

The bon fire lasted a good part of the evening, and it was probably around one thirty in the morning before the group started to dissipate. The last person to leave threw sand from the surrounding ground onto the fire and picked up all the trash, throwing it in the nearby trash can. He walked into the house and I crept to the fire, turning the ashes with a branch, kindling some left over embers. I put my hands near the flames, the heat covering me like a blanket and shielding me from the cold night air.

I crouched down, my long hair touching the ground. I looked around for any type of food left, noticing a half-eaten hot dog on top of the pile. I tore off the end and the swallowed the rest whole, savoring every morsel. I dug through the trash and found other little bits off food to eat, always tearing off the bitten parts; I was desperate for food, but not that desperate. I could've held off if I had to.

I was so busy eating that I didn't even hear the light footsteps behind me.

"_Hello_," a deep voice asked behind me.

I jumped, and turned, getting into a defensive position, waiting for the eraser attack.

"It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you," the voice calmly said, "What are you…. I mean…. Why are you out here?"

I didn't answer, getting even lower to the ground. The man's eyes glinted in the dim light of the far away porch light, flashing a deep brown color. He shuffled his feet, regarding me coolly.

"Um, hold on here for a sec," he mumbled, and ran towards the house.

I made my run for it then, making it to the edge of the yard, not wanting to expose my wings. I was about to hop the fence when the voice again called out to me.

"Wait! I don't want to hurt you! I just wanted to know if you wanted a place to stay!"

I jumped, scraping my bruised, scabbed leg on the barb fence and landing at an awkward angle. There was a sickening crunch and I faltered, no hope to keep me going this time. I screamed in pain, bursting into tears as I leaned over my leg, my hands going to the open wound, trying to stop it from bleeding.

There were hurried footsteps across the yard and gravel path way, heading towards me. I tried to crawl away, knowing it was no use, but it was comforting to me to know I at least tried to get away when they took me back to the school.

_I'm sorry guys… I tried…._

**P.S. We've had a really bad snow storm here in Texas so my school has been closed for the rest of the week, this gives me a lot of time to write, so I'll update if you guys review!**


	3. Clean

_Thank you to the one person who reviewed! I'll update just for you, but I want three reviews before I update next time! Oh, and to answer your question Bexxgirl, she had like a thin t-shirt on, nothing like a jacket to cover her up completely. This is a long post, or at least it is on word, so I hope its long on here!:)_

_OH! And please help me with a Name:)_

Chapter 3 -_Clean_

Riiiiipppp!

My eyes snapped open and I shrunk back as far as I could, trying to get away from the doctors as they ripped my skin off. My eyes landed on a wide eyed middle age woman who was staring at me, a look of worry on her face.

My face twisted into a snarl as I looked upon that innocent face, knowing that there was no such thing as innocence in her. A hiss escaped my throat and a man moved in front of her, his arm sweeping up in a protective motion. She smiled at me and stood up, pushing his arm down gently. She held her arm out and I flinched away from it. Her arm dropped and she kneeled next to the head of the bed. I closed my eyes and clenched my hands into fists, waiting for the shock of a needle entering my arm and send me into a sleep.

Something touched my lips and I opened my mouth, knowing I would only be in more pain if I tried to resist from it. I didn't want to become an eraser toy so I obeyed. Traditionally I would resist as much as I could but at the school, there's no point unless you want to be ripped to shreds by Ari.

I closed my eyes and waited to be lifted off to sleep.

Hello? Sleep? Where are you?

I opened my eyes and was surprised to see the woman setting the glass down on the nightstand while the man, the one who had caught me, looked at me patiently.

The woman cleared her throat, "Hello, my name is Eloyn Moss (L-O-Win) and this is my son, Brandon. I know your probably scared..."

The son interrupted, "Probably? She tried to jump a six foot barb wire fence! She IS scared."

Eloyn barked at him, "Brandon! Manners!"

He rolled his eyes behind her back and grinned at me. My heart skipped a beat; his smile was VERY familiar... Too familiar...

The jarring pain shocked me as my eyes filled with tears. I looked away quickly, but saw his disappointed face.

Eloyn motioned to my foot, "It's only a bad sprain, so you''ll be okay in a couple days. You popped it out of the socket as well but I set it straight while you were still unconscious," she trailed off.

My voice sounded like nails scratching a chalkboard when I spoke, "thank you."

Short and blunt, but something to say that alleviated the awkward moment. She smiled encouragingly, glad to hear me talking.

She cleared her throat, her face becoming more serious, "Brandon, can you leave us alone for a moment?"

He shrugged, leaving the room slowly.

"I don't mean to pry, but while I was changing your clothes to wash them... Um... You probably know what I'm talking about..."

I nodded my head, knowing this was the inevitable when I or the flock ever stayed with someone. We couldn't hide it.

"I haven't told my family yet and I don't have to, but with your permission I would like to examine you. Let me explain before you freak out, I am a vet, and I think you're... Well extraordinary! You don't have to give me an answer now, but think about it please... And I know trust is earned but i would like you to know that you can trust me."

I shook my head slightly and her smile returned, "Well, dinner will be ready in about an hour, and, the bathroom is down the hall to the left, the towels are under the sink and your clothes are on the chair beside the nightstand. You are okay to walk on your ankle but only small distances at first."

She got up quietly and left the room, leaving me alone and giving me the opportunity to look around at the room for the first time.

The room was a dark olive green, but not heavy. The furniture was very nice, they were obviously well off, and had good taste.

My eyes landed on my clothes and I was reminded of the coming joy of a hot shower. I scooted to the edge of the bed, testing my ankle. The first step sent a sparking pain up my leg, and I whimpered. The tears welled up in my eyes but I sucked in a breath and steeled myself for the next step.

I picked up my clothes from the night stand and opened the door to go down the hall to the bathroom.

No one has any idea how amazing it feels to take a hot shower after weeks of being dirty. The water caressed my back and shoulders, splicing my wings with warmth. I pulled my hair to the side, combing the long tendrils. The smell of shampoo and conditioner was heavenly, and I breathed it in like I was a a person who was huffing paint. I wiggled every part of my body, rolling my ankle tenderly. It felt so good to be clean again. I picked up the wash cloth I had found under the sink by the towels and covered it in soap. I scrubbed, trying to get rid of all the memories, as if I could wash them all down the drain. I scrubbed till my skin was raw and my hands and feet had turned into wrinkles prunes. I sighed, knowing I couldn't get much cleaner and turned off the water. I stepped out of the shower into the misty bathroom and reached for the fluffy towel. I towel dried my hair and then dried my body. I wiped down the mirror to look at myself.

I gasped, my face looked the same, thin but well proportioned, but my body, dear god, I must have been at the school longer than I thought... My skin, tan from long summer days flying, was covered in scars. The thin white lines covering every inch of my skin looked like something out of a horror movie. I clasped a hand over my mouth before a scream escaped, and snapped my eyes shut. I turned from the mirror and headed for the toilet as I felt a familiar twist in my stomach.

I stayed at the toilet for a couple minutes and then slowly got up, getting dressed. I didn't turn back to the mirror till I knew all the scars would be covered. My hair was long enough that it touched my butt and I combed my finger through it, trying to make it look healthier. I spotted a pair of scissors as I hunted for a brush and picked them up. I had cut the flocks hair several times during our months on the run so I knew how to cut hair good enough. I cut it till it was even with my shoulder blades and combed it, making sure it was even. My hair had lost its shine during the months of malnutrition.

I walked out of the bathroom and into the cooler air of the hallway. Eloyn was walking down it just at that moment and smiled when she saw me.

"Hey... Oh I don't even know your name!"

"Max"

"How unique! Well dinner is ready so come when you're done."

I nodded politely and she turned and left. I warily followed her; it would be dumb to trust this family so quickly just because the mother has a nice face! She led me down a stair case an into a room with several couches and a wall made of glass. She turned the corner and I immediately regretted following her. At a table was a grown man, Brandon, a little girl and a baby in a highchair, all staring at me.

I took a step back and Brandon stood up, "it's okay! We're not going to hurt you!"

I eyed them for a moment and then, deciding it was safe (enough), sat in the empty chair.

Eloyn clasped her hands together excitedly, "Max, this is my husband, Robert. And this is Emily! And that's baby Aryn, we adopted her from a teen mom. Everyone, this is Max!"

Robert offered his hand across the table, "Hello Max, I'm Robert Moss. It's a pleasure to have you here and I hope you are comfortable."

Comfortable? That was the LAST thing on my mind!

I nodded, deciding it was best not to speak so no one would talk to me.

Eloyn offered her hands out to Brandon and Robert, who were sitting next to her, "who wants to bless the food?"


	4. Recognize

_I need more reviews or else I'm gonna stop updating as quickly:( And I'm excited to update for you guys so please review and advertise to your friends! And I know a lot of people are reading this, cause I've gotten a lot of favorite author and story alerts so REVIEW!_

Chapter 4- _Recognize_

_Three weeks later-_

My head was on the toilet seat, and I moaned. Eloyn rubbed my back patiently.

"Um, Max, I have a question."

I shook my head but she asked anyways, "Is there any chance that you are, um, pregnant?"

My head shot up in shock, making me dizzy again and I put it back down on the cool toilet seat, "No. Way," I gritted my teeth.

"I was just making sure."

The time I spent with the Mosses made me feel at home. After a couple of days I warmed up to them, but I wasn't completely unguarded.

I learned that this house wasn't the one I had been at originally, eating from the trashcan. They lived in a nice, rich suburb about twenty miles from that farm. Eloyn's father owned the farm land and it was passed to her when he died. They hung out there every other weekend with some friends.

I told Eloyn everything, well, almost. I left out the whole flock besides Fang, saying he was my partner and I wanted to find him. She also took me shopping for clothes and got my haircut by an actual stylist. Aryn really liked me too; she pulled my hair and was always reaching for me. Emily reminded me of Angel, sweet and loving. Brandon was nice, sometimes too nice, and he acted a lot like Sam. I quickly found out it was 2011 too, which means if the last date I could remember was early 2007, I was gone for almost five years. Five whole years, gone. Wasted away.

Eloyn ended up only telling Rob about it and my wings. Interestingly enough, he worked in a branch of the government so high up, not even Eloyn knows what he does. We worked out a plan that if I agreed to go to school, he would try to locate the flock AND take down the school. I refused for a while but realized, how else could I find them? This could be my only chance, so why not put up with school for a month or so? I don't even have to try; I wouldn't be working towards college or anything anyways. Rob made a bunch of fake documents and registered me for the high school Brandon went to, we would both be seniors.

So there I was, standing at the front doors of this mental institution they called school, wondering how I got there.

Brandon stood at my side, looking at me, "Well… are you ready to go in?"

I shivered, "Never."

His face broke out into a grin and I suddenly realized why my heart hurt when he did, _Fang…_ They weren't as rare as his, but the _way_ he smiled… We had gotten close in the past couple of weeks, and he was quickly becoming a very good friend. He was sweet and patient; we would talk for hours on end about our families (the flock) and I even told him about the school. We told our darkest secrets and the only things he didn't know about was the way I felt for Fang and my wings.

I shook my head and started up the stairs, _well, I might as well get it over with. No day can be as bad as the first day…_

All teenage boys are pigs. I had come to THAT conclusion after fourth period. No one had actually done anything to me, but I felt them looking at me, and heard the whispers.

"_Dude, new student alert! And she is fiiiinnnneee."_

"_Hey man, look at her, I'd tap that."_

At least Brandon was kind enough to walk me to my classes so no one actually approached me but that doesn't me I didn't have eyes and ears. And apparently Brandon was a hot topic here at the school as well because I got the stink eye at lunch from more than a couple girls.

Besides that, I kept my head down all day. I sat in the back, only said my name was Max when the teacher made me and tried to be invisible. No one talked to me, not even to introduce their self to me.

That's why in fourth period, Government class, my head shot up when the girl next to me said something. That, and she sounded EXACTLY like Nudge.

"Hello, my names Monique."

I looked up in shock, and then disappointment hit me like a ton of bricks.

I faked a smile, "Max."

"It's nice to meet you; I hope you had a nice first day here."

I scoffed, "Nice."

She frowned, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, "Nothing, just a rough first day."

"Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that, any particular reason why?"

I laughed, "No reason, I just hate school."

She grinned, "That's reason enough!"

The day went by faster after that, Monique had the last three periods with me.

In last period, my curiosity got the best of me, "Hey Monique? Are there any students here that are… unusual? Like, separate from the rest of the group?"

She look confused, then laughed, "What are you expecting? The Cullens are supposed to live in Washington, not Texas."

I was immediately confused, "The Cullens?"

She stopped laughing and looked at me, "Twilight? Edward? Jacob?"

I shook my head, not knowing where she was going with this.

"You don't know what Twilight is? Where did you say you were from again?"

"Oregon," I said quickly.

She was in complete disbelief.

"So, what exactly is Twilight?"

She talked animatedly for the next fifteen minutes about some dumb story that was apparently 'the greatest book on the planet, I nodded ever so often, faking attention.

"So then he leaves and she's heartbroken so she renews her friendship with Jacob, who's a werewolf…. Max? Max, are you listening?"

I realized she was talking to me again and smiled, "Yes, just got side tracked for a second, so what happens then," I asked, prompting her.

She went off on a tangent again and my mind wandered to the flock, where could they be? Why didn't Fang leave me a clue?

Monique stopped talking and looked at me expectantly, "I think they're the greatest books ever."

I nodded, "they sound good, maybe you could loan one to me?"

She shook her head wildly, "Definitely! I'll bring them tomorrow."

The bell rang and I got up in relief, the day was finally over. Monique walked me over to Brandon's car and said goodbye. I got into the car and Brandon turned it on, pumping up the music.


	5. Unexpected

**Thank you to the people who reviewed, I really appreciate it, but I'm not going to post again till I get five more reviews! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this. I'm out of school cause of snow, so I have a lot of chapters to put up!**

Chapter Five-_Unexpected_

_One Week Later-_

Eloyn turned the corner of the produce section and I trudged after her. I didn't like the grocery store; it was too closed in for my liking.

"Mandarin oranges or peaches, Max," asked Eloyn.

I sighed, "Oranges."

She threw the little cups in the basket and I pushed it forward, following her slow pace. She stopped in the soda section and bent down to pick up a twenty four pack of something.

I closed my eyes and rolled my neck, stopping in tight spots. The patter of feet made me open my eyes and tense my muscles. I looked at the end of the aisle and almost collapsed. There, twenty feet away from me, was a little blonde headed girl, smiling at someone on the next aisle.

_Angel!_

I raced forward to meet her and she took off running again, running from whoever she had been looking at.

"Angel," I cried, but she didn't look back. I ran after her, zig-zagging through the aisles of clothes, food and people. My arm hit a showcase of cereal boxes and they all came tumbling down. I kept running, ignoring the shouts of employees behind me. _Angel, Angel, Angel, Angel, _I chanted in my head, running after the blond bobbing head. She turned a corner and I surged forward, turning the corner and screeching to a halt. A line of people stood in front of me, the little girl lost in the mass. My eyes flicked back and forth, looking for her.

A hand touched my shoulder and turned me around, "Mam, you're going to have to come with me and clean up the mess you caused."

I shook his hand off my shoulder and turned again, seeing her 50 feet away. I walked toward her and then stopped, seeing her hold the hand of a tall blonde woman. The woman was scolding her and the little girl was crying, her head turned towards me, _not Angel._

My heart shattered into a million pieces and I tried to hold in the tears, _stupid, stupid, stupid._ I made a fool of myself!

The hand touched my shoulder again, "Mam, Do NOT make me throw you out of the store."

I swiped his hand away and heard someone in the line, "Crazy."

I turned to retort, my hand coming up to slap them and froze. They froze too. I blinked, several times and let the tears fall, I wanted them back so bad I was seeing them.

The blind one put his hand on the caramel one's shoulder, "Nudge, what is it?"

Nudge's mouth gaped open like a fishes, opening and shutting. She shuddered, "Ma… Ma… Max?"

Iggy's head shot up, "Max?"

I stumbled forward and touched his chest, "Iggy…"

I slumped up against him, and his arms wrapped around me, holding me up.

Nudge touched my face and my hair, "Max, Max," she cooed.

**I'm sorry this chapter is so short but I wanted to introduce the flock back in and leave a cliff hanger, but I'm already on chapter eight, so five reviews and I'll post again :) And the next one is REALLY LONG so review review review! :))))**


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